Medication

Expired and unused prescription and over the counter medication will be collected 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 28 at the Emmaus Police Department, 400 Jubilee St., Emmaus. Also accepted are pet medications, liquids and creams in containers. Syringes will not be accepted. This event is coordinated by the U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration, the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office, Lehigh County police departments and the Allentown Health Bureau.

HARRISBURG — State taxpayers paid for Sen. Daylin Leach and three aides to travel to Denver to assess how legalization of marijuana is working and what effect it's having on everyday life in Colorado. Leach, D-Montgomery County, a champion of medical marijuana legalization in Pennsylvania, said he sampled marijuana while there last week — using a vaporizer pen, or "vaping," rather than smoking — but did not charge the vape pen to taxpayers. It was a gift from a facility Leach toured, an aide said.

The Emmaus Police Department will host a over-the-counter and prescription medication take back day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 26 inside the Emmaus Police station, 400 Jubilee St., Emmaus, according to the Emmaus Borough website. Residents are asked to bring expired, unused and unwanted drugs to the event so the items can be disposed of properly, the website said. The event is being held in conjunction with the National Take Back Day Collection, coordinated by the U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration, the website said.

It became obvious this week that Pennsylvania inevitably will emerge from the Dark Ages when it comes to a ban on the use of medical marijuana to ease the suffering of people with epilepsy or other ailments. For some Pennsylvanians, perhaps, it will be a matter of getting dragged kicking and screaming into a more enlightened approach, but it's going to happen. Leading the charge at the state level has been state Sen. Daylin Leach, D-Montgomery and formerly a prominent and colorfully outspoken Lehigh Valley lawyer.

BOSTON (AP) — As the Boston Red Sox disintegrated in what would become the worst September collapse in baseball history, some at Fenway Park grew concerned that the pain medication Terry Francona was taking after a half-dozen procedures on his knee was affecting his ability to manage, according to a report in the Boston Globe. In a 2,500-word, front-page article headlined, "Inside the Collapse," the newspaper spread the blame on all sides: apathetic players eating fried chicken in the clubhouse during games; a general manager who squandered a $161 million budget on underperformers; ownership that thought players could be bought off with $300 headphones and a party on John Henry's 164-foot yacht, "Iroquois.

To the Editor: The Morning Call made our day by taking a firm stand against forced fluoridation of our public water. Each community should have a choice in this important matter. Any sensible person or professional health organization ought to be against this idea. Why? Because it smacks of mass medication. Why should everyone be forced to drink this terribly toxic substance? Even those who are promoting the idea concede that more than one part per million is toxic. What makes it all so shameful and unnecessary is that fluoride is so readily available in toothpaste.

To the Editor: When the issue of fluoridation of the public's water supply is viewed objectively, it "boils down" to one question. Have the citizens delegated to the government the authority to infuse medication into the drinking water? MICHAEL B. SOLOMON SR. ALLENTOWN

Northampton Regional Emergency Medical Services has received the American Heart Association's Mission: Lifeline® EMS Silver Award that recognizes its commitment and success in implementing specific quality improvement measures for the treatment of patients who suffer a severe heart attack known as a STEMI (ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction). Every year, almost 300,000 people experience a STEMI, a type of heart attack caused by a complete blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment.

To the Editor: I've sat in thought for a few days of the eminent Dr. Barrett's expose of pharmacy malpractice in the Lehigh Valley. My immediate reaction was one of defensiveness, being a practical professional pharmacist. Having calmed down and giving serious consideration to the article, I would like to present the following observations. We live in a pill happy society. Whose fault? Major pharmaceutical houses? Madison Avenue P.R.? Physicians wishing to solve a patient's real and/or imaginary woes?

BETHLEHEM A 28-year-old Bethlehem man awaiting a hearing for fighting with three city police officers in February was charged Monday with stealing prescription medication from a woman and then ingesting it the night of the attack, police said. Luis Eugene Rodriguez, whose last known address was 711 Pawnee St., was charged with theft, receiving stolen property and criminal mischief for stealing the prescription antidepressants from Jennifer Beier and then swallowing a handful of them on Feb. 25, police said.

At first, golf was meant to be a diversion at St. Luke's West End Medical Center. The cavernous hull of the former Pennsylvania Expo Center had plenty of room, so why not install a hitting bay for doctors and administrators to practice? But then the idea expanded. With the Sports & Human Performance center nearby, and a teaching pro onsite, a golf academy could attract players hoping to improve their fitness, their golf swings or both. Thus was born the Triple Aim Golf Academy, which opened last fall at the St. Luke's facility in Allentown.

Plans to improve Interstate 80 in the Poconos involve not only widening the highway but also reconstructing the Exit 308 interchange in East Stroudsburg. The state Department of Transportation project calls for the reconstruction of the Exit 308 interchange of I-80 under Prospect Street. "With major safety and congestion issues, the interchange is the main access for East Stroudsburg University and the Pocono Medical Center," said PennDOT spokesman Ron Young. The project is intended to increase safety and reduce congestion in the area.

Catasauqua police want the public's help to identify a woman who used a stolen credit card at two stores in the Allentown area May 1. Although the photos of the woman are grainy, police said one distinct feature may lead to her identification. The woman was wearing an air cast or medical boot on her left foot, indicating a foot, ankle or leg injury. The credit card was stolen from a Catasauqua resident, but Detective Chris Wittik said the theft may have occurred in Whitehall Township.

HARRISBURG - As teary-eyed parents cradling ill children watched, a state Senate committee on Friday passed a landmark bill that could make medical marijuana legal in Pennsylvania. But the bipartisan bill still has a long way to go before becoming law. The full Senate is expected to vote on the measure as part of the budget-confirmation process in the coming days. If it passes, it still would need approval by the Republican-controlled House, where opposition could run deep, and by Gov. Tom Corbett, who is not completely on board with approving marijuana for all ill individuals.

People become scam targets for all sorts of reasons. Some are desperate to find jobs and fall for traps promising easy money. Some are desperate for companionship and let down their guard in phony online romances . Others are older people whose age makes them easier targets. Dorothy Weiner of Whitehall Township was susceptible because she's diabetic. She isn't sure how the smooth-talking woman who called her last month knew that. Weiner started to fall for the pitch by answering the caller's questions, but caught herself before she divulged too much.

The Lehigh Medical Arts building in Lower Macungie Township was burglarized last week and cash was taken from office drawers, police said. The building at 5018 Medical Center Circle was broken into between 5:30 p.m. June 13 and 10 a.m. June 14, state police at Fogelsville said. The burglar or burglars damaged doors and smashed a window at the building, near Hamilton Boulevard and Brookside Road, police said. Several offices were entered, and police said $120 was stolen.

The estate of a former Northampton councilman claims medicine prescribed to him after heart bypass surgery caused his death. A suit filed in Northampton County Court by Stella Budihas, executrix of the estate of Stephen Budihas, charges that he developed a bleeding ulcer from the medication and died on Feb. 9, 1982. The action seeks more than $60,000 damages from the Allentown and Sacred Heart Hospital Center, Dr. William F. Boucher of Northampton, Drs. Bruce J. Silverberg, John J. Cassel and Richard C. Wilson, all of Allentown, and two other physicians identified only as "John Doe."

Northampton Regional Emergency Medical Services has received the American Heart Association's Mission: Lifeline® EMS Silver Award that recognizes its commitment and success in implementing specific quality improvement measures for the treatment of patients who suffer a severe heart attack known as a STEMI (ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction). Every year, almost 300,000 people experience a STEMI, a type of heart attack caused by a complete blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment.

Sarah Behie's symptoms started nearly three weeks after she got a flu shot. The nurse's aide at Lehigh Valley Hospital noticed that her knees and arms hurt and that her limbs felt weak. As the pain and weakness grew worse, the 20-year-old was admitted to the hospital and later diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare neurological condition that would leave her partially paralyzed and living in hospitals and nursing homes for nearly four years. The cause of Behie's illness, her lawyers alleged, was the flu vaccine that she received at work in October 2010.